Archdiocese Officials Meet with Minnesota Police

Officials of the Twin Cities archdiocese have met with St. Paul police the day after Police Chief Tom Smith accused the archdiocese of not cooperating with an investigation into alleged child sex abuse by priests.

Police spokesman Howie Padilla reported on his Twitter feed that police met privately Wednesday with the Reverend Charles Lachowitzer, a vicar general and top deputy to Archbishop John Nienstedt. A spokesman for the archdiocese says the meeting was “productive and amicable.”

Archbishop John Nienstedt

The meeting comes one day after St. Paul police also opened an investigation into an allegation that Nienstedt touched a boy on the buttocks during a confirmation in 2009. Nienstedt has said the accusation is entirely false but he will temporarily step away from public ministry during the investigation.